Vitalize officialdom by recruiting from outside

The government organization also must keep up with the fast changes of the times.

The government plans to lift the salary cap on contract-based government employees of mid-level in grade four or higher rank, enabling compensations even higher than ministers and vice ministers. The idea is to invite talent from the private sector to senior posts in the government and induce positive changes in the officialdom.

Government employees who joined civil service through the state exam also can be promoted to higher positions by skipping the traditional hierarchic order if they show outstanding performances and capabilities. It usually took at least 16 years for the lowest-rank grade-9 official to reach the director-general level of grade 3. The elevation could be shortened to 11 years under the new promotion outline of the Ministry of Personnel Management to introduce flexibility and incentives to civil service, whose popularity has been waning due to low pay and slow mobility.

The government has already opened public offices to outsiders. The open recruitment can draw in experts from the private sector. But those offices still have been dominated by government employees. After looking into the inspector position at 18 government offices, the JoongAng Ilbo has found that none had been recruited from outside. The reason was the closed and bureaucratic nature of the officialdom, which effectively dissuaded private experts from bidding for positions in the government. Moreover, few would be tempted to shift to a government office that pays poorer than their private-sector job.

The government plans to establish a space agency to develop Korea’s space infrastructure — the pinnacle of cutting-edge science and technology — through the production of rockets and spaceships which do not allow any mishaps. As Korea needs to bring in the best talents from home and abroad, the outdated appointment and pay system must not get in the way. The role of health care experts has risen during the pandemic period. The Ministry of Personnel Management has decided to give government offices handling those areas the independence to set the compensation terms, particularly for space and healthcare experts.

A speedier promotion system also can bring fresh air into civil service. Performance-based pay system has long been established in the corporate sector. The government organization also must keep up with the fast changes of the times. Competent workers must be promoted and paid based on their performances and achievements.

The changes must be acted out so that they do not end as a feigning move. Outside talents must be recruited through exceptional compensations to allow them to contribute their expertise in the field without any hurdles in the conservative bureaucratic culture. Only then can the changes spread to other government offices — and the public can feel the improvement in civil service.